Flour formulations for making gluten-free food products

Abstract

The invention provides a gluten-free flour formulation containing a plurality of ingredients. Each ingredient in the formulation is substantially or completely free of gluten protein. In one embodiment, the formulation meets the requirements for kosher certification. The gluten-free flour formulation includes at least two ingredients of the following: ground or partially ground particles of dried roots of a root-tuber crop, dried kernels or nuts of a nut-tree and dried fruits of a species in the Musaceae family. In some embodiments, the gluten-free flour formulation includes ground or partially ground particles of dried cassava root, almond nuts and dried plantain fruits, wherein the proportions of the ground cassava root, almond nuts and dried plantain fruits range from about 15% to about 85%, from about 20% to about 60%, and from about 5% to about 30%, respectively.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The invention is directed to novel flour formulations and methods for making food products, particularly gluten-free food products, using such novel flour formulations. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Gluten is the name given to a group of seed storage proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and possibly oats. The presence of gluten in the diet causes celiac disease, an autoimmune condition stemming from genetic and environmental factors, which could result in damage to the villi of the intestinal wall, which in turn may contribute to the development or onset of a wide range of other health issues, including malabsorption, gastrointestinal conditions, and cancer (particularly if untreated). According to the Celiac Sprue Association, approximately 1 in 133 people have celiac disease, however, only about 3% of these have been diagnosed. It appears that there are over 2.1 million undiagnosed people with celiac disease in the United States. The prevalence o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016] The present invention provides a flour formulation containing a plurality of ingredients. In some embodiments of the invention, the plurality of ingredients includes two or more flours selected from a group comprising a root-tuber flour, a nut flour, a musa-fruit flour and a buckwheat flour.

Problems solved by technology

The presence of gluten in the diet causes celiac disease, an autoimmune condition stemming from genetic and environmental factors, which could result in damage to the villi of the intestinal wall, which in turn may contribute to the development or onset of a wide range of other health issues, including malabsorption, gastrointestinal conditions, and cancer (particularly if untreated).

Avoiding these grains, or their processed forms, in making food products is a challenge to food manufacturers, especially to bakers, because eliminating any of these grains eliminates the gluten source and, as a result, provides an unacceptable raise-structure or raise-volume to bakery products.

However, the removal of gluten and the incorporation of a necessary substitute usually results in an unfamiliar and inferior taste, as well as a deficiency in overall quality.

However, these ingredients do not possess acceptable elastic and viscous properties, and result in a liquid bread batter, rather than dough.

Also, the final baked bread or other goods prepared from these ingredients may have a high-density, a crumbly or sandy texture, poor color, and a distinguishably different taste relative to the normal taste of bread or other gluten-free goods in which such flours are found.

However, a bakery product prepared solely from a root-tuber flour provides undesirable sensory qualities, such as taste, mouth-feel or palatability.

However, none of the existing gluten-free mixtures provide a combination of taste, mouth-feel, crumb and crust textures, volume and shelf-life, similar to, or as good as, the food prepared from gluten containing ingredients.

In addition, none of the existing gluten-free mixtures provide a combination of taste, mouth-feel, crumb and crust textures, volume and shelf-life acceptable to consumers.